‘It’s unsettling’: Resident reacts to human remains found near home amid search for Elijah Vue

By Mariam Mackar

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    TWO RIVERS, Wisconsin (WTMJ) — A normally quiet farm town in Two Rivers has been buzzing with police activity.

Many in the area are wondering who the human remains found belong to and if it’s related to the disappearance of 3-year-old Elijah Vue.

Kathy Hasselman works on her sister’s farm just across the street from where the remains were found. She was there when investigators came and began surveying the wooded area.

“It’s a very unsettling feeling that there’s a body over there,” said Hasselman. “I just saw the crime lab truck leaving with the cop cars behind them.”

Hasselman and many others believe the unidentified remains may belong to the missing 3-year-old, though investigators have not confirmed it.

Public records show the farmhouse across the street that belongs to Hasselman’s sister used to be the home of Elijah’s mother, Kristina Baur.

Hasselman says she discovered that Bauer used to live on the property through social media.

“I looked on Facebook and I saw the mother, real pretty woman, with two kids. They look happy. Then, I look at the porch, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that’s my sister’s porch.'”

For months, Two Rivers residents have searched for the boy who was announced missing in February.

“It’s been pretty catastrophic, not knowing where to look,” said Hasselman. “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack, literally.”

The Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office says it will take some time before DNA can confirm who the remains belong to, leaving the community to wait longer for the closure they’ve been searching months for.

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